Traffic signal



Nov. 6, 192a. 1,690,971

- J. B. FREIDAH TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Oct. 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1WXTNESSES w' w BY Nov. 6, 1928. 1,690,971

J. B. FREIDAH TRAFFI C S I GNAL Filed Oct. 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2WITNESSES MfWW.

INVENTQR Judsonfil reidalu ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

ITED wwn eon-is; vrivaling-E, or nnw' YORK, Y.

V oFHciE.

Iii-Arno sI'einiL.

time fi1ed' ctober24, 125. "swarm, 64,683.

'This invention relates to accessories for motor vehicles designedlas ameans iforsignal ing to approaching or following traflic that a the,present applicationthe device includes a combination ofielectrically andmechanically operated means for visualizing "the signa i One of theprincipal objects of the present invention is to provide a trafficsignaling device for'motor vehicles, which is comparatively simple inits constructiona'nd mode of operation, inexpensive to smanufact'ure andinstall, highly eflicient,.and thoroughlyrelh able and positive in itsaction.

Withthe above recited and other-objectsin view, reference is had to thefollowing specification and accompanying drawings in which there .isexhibited oneexample or embodiment of the invention ,which "is in no Wayin,- tended as a limitation upon the scope of the appended claim asit isto be clearly under- 7 stood that variations and modifications whichproperly fall within thesco'pe'of said claim maybe resorted to whenfound expedient. I

In the drawings 1 Figure '1 is apers ective view illustrating the signalinits app ied' position one motor vehicle ,Fig. 2 is an enlarged rearView thereof; 1

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the. same; f p r Fig. 4 is a sectional ViewtakenfapproXfi-j mately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a sectional viewtaken approximately on the line 5+5 of'Fig.,4;

6 is a sectional view through thermanipulating knob and the manual lampcontrolling switch; I i

Fig. 7 is a face view of'the frohtsignaling member-or plate 7 I Fig. '8is a diagrammatic View of the electric switch. 1

Referring to the drawings'by characters of reference, 10 designates acasing preferably ofcircular form having a front section 11 constitutingthe body, of the casing and thebody is pro vided with a laterally andinwardly projecting tubular arm 13 which is suitably supdevice '14: fromthe ported by a clamping windshield W- of an open car or in othersuitable manner from the body of a closed car. 'The rearw-all 15 of thecasing 1O and the-front 'wall of the cover or front'section 11, areprovided with alined window open ings 1'8 the'lower portionof therearwall' 14 has mounted thereon a rear View mirror 21 whereby thedevice-serves both as'asignaling deviceand a, means for observingfollowing traffic. g

A hearing strap22 has itsm'aj or portion a-r. ranged horizontally oneextremity 23 bent upwardlyatanangle, the opposite'te'rminalsof strapbeing secured to the annular wall of the casingbody. The medial portionof the strap is formed W'ithabearin'g24 in which a shaft-'25 isjournale'd, the saidfshaftbeing disposed axially of thecasing. Thebearing strap 22 and bean ing 24 'are vertically slotted centrally toac-. coininodate' a pinionf26keyed to the shaft 25; At itsfrontandreanends the shaft 25 has secured thereto for turning movementtherewith, front and rear disks of opaque material. The disk27 isprovided with circu'm ferentiallyspacedi cutout portions ,29 and 30of'a" configuration 1 to represent hands pointing opposite directions,while the rear disk 28is1 provided with circumferen tially spaced cutouto portions 81,32 and 3'3, the cutout portion 31" being of aconfiguration s'imulatingan upraised hand, and the latter cutoutportions 32 and 33 -represent-- ing hands pointing respectively inopposite directions, which latter cutout portions 32 and 33 are'disposedin alinement with "the cutout portions 29 and 30. j

The inner end of thetubul'ar arm "in addition to carrying the clamping'means '14,

' supports and communicates with a housing '34 whichlis disposed withinthe'confines of the upper part of the vehicle and within conven- V ientreach of the operator.

p p Extending through therear wan of the housing 34, is a within the"casing with aRcover which is hinged at 12 to I and 19 eachcover'ed by atransparent panel 20. Preferably th'e'iouter surface of I to the shaftregistry conductor 53 leading hands, thereby tubular shaft 35, which hasattached to the portion arranged within the housing, a pin- 7 ion 36,the teeth of which mesh with the teeth 7 of a rack bar 37 which extendsthrough the tubular arm 13 and into the casing 10. The outer end of therack bar 37 has telescopically associated therewith a rack bar 38, whichis secured to the rack bar 37 by a retaining screw 39. The teeth of therack bar 38 mesh with the teeth of the pinion 26 so that turningmovement imparted to the tubularsha'ft' 35 will impart a similar turningmovement for turning the disks 27 and 28 in order to selectively disposethe alined cutout portions 29 and 32 or 30 and 33 in registry with thewindow openings 18 and 19 of the casing, or the cutout portion 31 intherewith. V

The cutout portions 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 are filled with a translucentmaterial which is of a color or shade not readily distinguishable fromthe coloror shade of the disk when an external light is cast thereon butwhich uponthe castingof light reflections therethrough-renders saidfilled cutout portions clearly distinguishable from the disks to displaythe same.

Supported from thebearing strap 22 and approximately in alinement withthe window openings 18 and 19, is an electric lamp,- 41, mounted in alamp socket 42 from which a circuit return wire 43 leads 'to. one poleof a battery or other source ofsupply 44. From the opposite pole of thebattery or source of supply 44, a circuit wire 45 leads to and isconnected with branch feed wires 46 and 47, the former being connectedto'one of a pair of spaced contacts 48 of a switch including a bridgingelement 49, the remaining spacedcontact 48being connected by a circuitwire 50 to a stationary contact 51, which stationary contact 51 isinturn connected by a branch feed'wire 52 to the feed to'the lamp socket.The conductor 53 is connected by a branch circuit wire 54 to a secondstationary contact element55. Theicontac-t elements 51 and 55 are spacedfrom each other and mounted upon a suitable arcuate insulated support 56within the housing 34. The tubular shaft 35 has secured thereto a radialarm 57, the freeend of which has connected thereto and insulatedtherefrom, a contactelement 58 connected to the branch circuit wire 47and movable with the arm 57 when the tubular shaft is turned. Thespacing of the contacts 51 and 55 is such that when the the alinedcutout portions 29 and 32 and 30 and 33 in registry with the windowopenings 18 and 19, the movable contact element 58 will respectivelyengage with the'contacts 55 and 51 so that the lamp 41 will be'energized and lighted to display through the front and rear windowopenings 18' and 19, thepointed indicating to following or shaft 35 isrotated to dispose approaching traflic that a turn is contemplated.

However, when the vehicle is traveling in a straight 7 direction, theshaft 35 will be turned to an intermediate position disposing thepointed hands out of registry with the window openings and the contactelement 58 consequently out of contact with either of thecontact'elements 51 or 55, to tie-energize and extinguish the lamp. Inthis relation the upraised open hand designated by the cutout-portion 31will be disposed in alinement with and displayable through the rearwindow opening 18. In ordertovisualize through the window opening, saidcutout'portion 31, the lamp 41 is energized or lighted by bringing thebridging element 49 into bridging relation with the spaced contacts 48.The switch which includes the spaced contact elements 48 and bridgingelement 49, is enclosed in a hollow knob 60, which is secured to therearwardly projecting end of the hollow shaft 35 by a set screw 61. Thecircuitwires 46 and'50 are led through'the tubular shaft 35 andconnected to the spaced contact" elements 48 which are supported by aninsulated member 62 in which the bridging element 49. is arranged. a'rearwardly projectingshank 63 extending through the knob and providedwith a manipulating head 64 which'upon rearward pulling movement, causesthe bridgingelement to bridge the spaced contact elements. The knob ispreferably provided with an indicating device 65 which when disposedupwardly indicates the normal neutral posi-' tion of the signal, n

In use and operation, when the driver of the vehicle "contemplates astop he pulls rearwardly on the-head 64 to bridge the spaced contacts 48for closing the circuit to energize thelamp 41. This displays tofollowing traffic the upraised open hand for giving an unmistakable stopsignal. In event the operator contemplates making a right or a left turntheknob; 60is rotated to the lighter left, as the case may be, in whichinstances the cutout portions indicat ing a right or aleft pointinghand, are brought into registry with the window'openings 18 and19,while, at the same time, the movable switch element 58 carried by thearm 57, is brought into engagement with-either stationary contact 55 or51, to automatically close the circuit and light the lamp 41 forunmistakably displaying the same to both approaching and followingtraffic. I

A signal including a casing having' windows" atopposite sides thereof, astrap supported within the casing with its longitudinal edgesequi-distantly spaced from. such sides, signal disks rotatable in thecasing upon OPPOSltB sides of the strap, a rotatable toothed Thebridging element is carried by element supported by the strap and havingits ends fixed t0 the disks, the strap serving to retain the disksin'spaced parallel relation, a channel-shaped member supported from theunder face of the strap and extendin longitudinally thereof, a rack barslida le in the channel-shaped member and engaging the rotatableelementlto rotate'the disks, and a spring interposed between the rackbar and bottom Wall of the channel-shaped member 10 JUDVSON B. FREIDAH.

